What Makes a "Wise" Leader
At Full Circle we work with people in leadership at different levels:1. Management
This level involves mastery of a broad range of competencies which can be summarised as the capacity to manage self, others and tasks. For example to be an effective manager I need to have many skills in my tool kit including capabilities such as managing underperformance, managing projects, managing my time and managing upwards.2. Leadership
This level is about both strategy and influence. Effective leaders motivate and mobilise others to work towards common goals. They are strategic influencers and change agents of people, teams and organisations.
3. Integrated ("Wise") Leadership
This is the most highly evolved leadership level or state and is defined by the concept of wisdom. In other words it is a level we develop into and we know we have achieved it when others truly see us as role models, coaches and mentors. An Integrated leader operates in the following way - they integrate both the emotional and rational to reflect, learn and deal practically and humbly with complex groups and situations to enable ethical, objective decisions for the benefit of others.
It sounds a mouthful but we believe that the concept of the integrated or wise leader is well worth understanding. We need these types of leaders more and more to help organisations deal with complex and challenging problems and environments.
Attributes of a "Wise" leader
At Full Circle Feedback we have identified 3 Key areas (and 10 major factors) that an Integrated Leader must possess. These factors are based upon an extensive review of the literature and the most current leading edge thinking about leadership effectiveness :
Key Area 1: Practice
- Reflectiveness - debriefs with self and others to learn and inform action
- Detachment - capacity and dispassionately to see themselves objectively
- Love of learning - commits to their own lifelong learning
Key Area 2: Intelligence
- Systems Thinking - sees the whole, complex picture and not just the parts
- Emotional Intelligence - contains their emotions appropriately, reads other people well and understands their impact on others
- Practical Intelligence - draws from their experience to assist others
- Social Intelligence - works effectively with a diverse range of individuals and groups
Key Area 3: Integrity
- Concern for People - works for the good of all rather than self interest
- Humility - puts their own ego aside and understands that the more they know, the less they know
- Ethics - makes decisions and guides others with a strong moral compass
Whilst none of these factors is new to anyone involved in leadership development to be a truly Integrated Leader you must possess and apply all ten factors. We believe that it is the particular combination of the ten factors that result in great leadership.
Conclusion
An Integrated Leader is a role model and they are the leaders that people go to for advice and wise counsel. Wisdom is ascribed not claimed by an individual. For this reason at Full Circle we have developed the world's first measurement tool for the Integrated or Wise Leader. It is a 360-degree feedback tool - The Wise Leader Index (link). Contact us if you would like to learn more about out Integrated Leader Program and how you can identify and grow Integrated Leaders.
